When all your agents are offline - whether after business hours, during weekends, or on holidays - your live chat widget does not simply disappear. Social Intents gives you several options for handling visitor interactions when no human agents are available. You can display an offline contact form, let an AI chatbot continue conversations, hide the chat button entirely, or combine these approaches. Below we walk through every offline option, how to configure each one, and strategies for capturing leads and providing support around the clock.
How Widget Status Works
Your chat widget has two statuses: online and offline. The widget goes offline when one of these conditions is met:
- All agents are offline - Every agent on the account has toggled their status to offline, logged out, or had their session expire
- Schedule is outside business hours - If an online schedule is configured, the widget automatically goes offline outside scheduled hours
- Widget is manually disabled - An administrator has disabled the widget entirely
When the widget transitions to offline, its behavior changes based on your offline configuration. There are four main options, and you can combine them to create the ideal offline experience for your visitors.
Option 1: Offline Contact Form
The default offline behavior displays a contact form where visitors can leave a message. This ensures you never miss an inquiry - even when no one is available to respond in real time.
Como funciona
When the widget is offline, visitors see your customizable offline message (e.g., "We're offline right now. Leave us a message.") followed by a contact form. The form typically collects the visitor's name, email address, and message. When the visitor submits the form, the message is saved as an offline message in your Social Intents account and an email notification is sent to your team.
Configuring the Offline Form
Retrieving Offline Messages
Offline messages are stored in your Social Intents account and accessible through:
- Email notifications - An email is sent to your team when a visitor submits an offline message, ensuring you can follow up promptly the next business day
- API access - Offline messages are available through the
/offlinemessagesAPI endpoint for integration with your CRM or support tools - Webhooks - If configured, an offline webhook (
webhookoffline) can trigger automated workflows when an offline message is received - for example, creating a support ticket or adding a lead to your CRM
Option 2: AI Chatbot Continues 24/7
If you have an AI chatbot configured with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, it can continue handling conversations when all human agents are offline. The AI chatbot responds to visitor questions using your trained knowledge base, providing instant answers at any hour.
Como funciona
When an AI chatbot is enabled on your widget, it operates independently of agent availability. Even when the widget's human-agent status is "offline," the AI chatbot can still engage with visitors, answer questions, collect contact information, and perform automated actions. Visitors get an immediate response instead of waiting for an offline form reply.
Configuring AI for After-Hours
AI chatbot configuration is done through the AI Chatbot settings in the web dashboard. To enable 24/7 AI coverage:
- Train the chatbot on your FAQs, product information, pricing, and common questions
- Set up escalation rules so the AI can hand off complex questions to a human agent when they come back online
- Configure AI actions such as calendar booking, lead capture, or CRM integration so the chatbot can take meaningful action even without human involvement
Option 3: Hide the Chat Button When Offline
If you prefer that visitors do not see the chat widget at all when no one is available, you can hide the chat button entirely during offline periods. This provides the cleanest offline experience - visitors simply do not see a chat option, avoiding the situation where they click the button and find only an offline form.
How to Enable
When the widget goes back online (agents log in, scheduled hours begin), the chat button reappears automatically. Visitors do not need to refresh the page - the button shows or hides dynamically.
Option 4: Schedule-Based Visibility
The most automated approach uses the online schedule to control when the widget appears. Configure your business hours in the schedule settings, and the widget automatically goes online during those hours and offline (or hidden) outside of them.
Combine the schedule with the "Hide When Offline" option for a widget that only appears during business hours. Or combine the schedule with the offline form to collect messages overnight. The schedule handles the timing automatically - no one needs to remember to toggle online or offline.
Customizing the Offline Experience
Offline Message Text
The offline message sets visitor expectations and encourages them to leave their contact information. Write a message that is friendly, clear about the timeline for a response, and encourages the visitor to leave a message:
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Standard | "We're offline right now. Leave us a message and we'll get back to you within 1 business day." |
| With hours | "Our team is available Monday–Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM EST. Leave a message and we'll respond when we're back." |
| Encouraging | "We'd love to chat but we're away right now. Drop us a note and we'll reply first thing tomorrow!" |
| With alternatives | "We're offline. Leave a message below, or email us at support@company.com for urgent matters." |
Offline Tab Text
The tab text is what visitors see on the chat button when the widget is offline. Choose text that clearly indicates the purpose:
- "Leave a message" (default)
- "Send us a note"
- "Contact us"
- "Get in touch"
Online Tab Text
For comparison, the online tab text shows on the chat button when agents are available. Keeping a clear distinction between online and offline tab text helps visitors understand whether they will get an immediate response or leave a message. Examples for online: "Chat with us," "We're here to help," "Talk to us."
What Triggers the Offline Transition
Understanding what causes your widget to go offline helps you prevent unexpected downtime:
Agent Session Expiry
When an agent closes their browser or is inactive for an extended period, their HTTP session expires and the system automatically sets them to offline. If they were the last agent online, all non-scheduled widgets transition to offline. This prevents "ghost online" status where the widget appears available but no one is actually there.
Manual Toggle
When an agent manually toggles their status to offline and no other agents remain online, the widget goes offline. Agents can toggle status from the chat console or their profile page.
Schedule Outside Hours
If a schedule is enabled, the widget automatically transitions to offline when the current time falls outside the configured business hours. This happens regardless of individual agent status.
The "Stay Available" Exception
Agents with the Stay Available feature enabled remain listed as online even after their session expires. This means the widget stays online even if that agent is not actively watching the dashboard. This is meant for agents using mobile push notifications who will respond to chats from their phone.
Offline Strategies by Business Type
| Business Type | Recommended Offline Strategy |
|---|---|
| E-commerce / SaaS | AI chatbot 24/7 + offline form as fallback. Capture leads and answer product questions around the clock. |
| Professional services | Offline form with business hours message. Follow up on the next business day. |
| B2B with set hours | Schedule-based visibility + Hide When Offline. Widget only appears during staffed hours. |
| Global company | AI chatbot 24/7 with different agent teams in different time zones. Human agents in rotation, AI fills gaps. |
| Solo operator | Pushover mobile notifications + Stay Available for extended coverage. AI chatbot handles routine questions. |
Offline Webhooks and Integrations
For teams that want to automate their offline message handling, Social Intents supports offline webhooks. When a visitor submits an offline message, a webhook can fire to:
- Create a ticket in your helpdesk (Zendesk, Freshdesk, etc.)
- Add a lead to your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.)
- Send a Slack or Teams notification about the offline message
- Trigger an email sequence or follow-up workflow
Configure the offline webhook URL in your widget settings to connect this automation.
Perguntas frequentes
Will visitors see the chat widget if everyone is offline?
By default, yes - the widget shows in offline mode with a contact form. If you enable Hide Chat Button When Offline, the widget disappears entirely when no agents are available.
Can the AI chatbot and offline form work together?
Yes. The AI chatbot handles conversations automatically. If a visitor asks something the AI cannot answer, the AI can suggest leaving a message for the human team. The offline form is available as a fallback when the AI is not configured or when a visitor specifically wants to leave a message for a human.
How quickly should I respond to offline messages?
Best practice is to respond within 1 business day. Set expectations in your offline message - if you typically respond within 2 hours of opening, say so. Fast follow-up on offline messages significantly improves conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Does the AI chatbot cost extra for after-hours use?
The AI chatbot is included in your Social Intents plan based on your subscription tier. There is no additional charge specifically for after-hours AI chatbot usage. The chatbot operates within your plan's chat limits regardless of the time of day.
Can I have different offline messages for different widgets?
Yes. Each widget has its own offline message, offline tab text, and hide-when-offline setting. You can customize the offline experience for each widget independently.
What if an agent's session expires but they want to stay available?
Enable the Stay Available setting on the agent's profile. This keeps the agent listed as online even when their browser session expires. Pair this with Pushover push notifications so the agent receives alerts on their phone and can respond from the mobile browser.
How do I retrieve offline messages?
Offline messages are delivered via email notifications to your team. They are also available through the offline messages API endpoint and can be forwarded via webhooks to your CRM, helpdesk, or other systems.
Can I set different offline behaviors for weekends vs. weeknights?
The offline behavior settings (offline message, hide when offline) apply whenever the widget is offline, regardless of the reason. The online schedule controls when the widget goes offline, but the offline experience is the same whether it is a weeknight, weekend, or holiday. If you need different messaging, you could create separate widgets with different offline messages and display them on different pages.